• Developer: Presselite
• Buy: [iTunes, 115 yen]

Part 1: the Basic App

This is a great navigation app for Tokyoites, with a decent resolution pinchable image of the Tokyo subway network and, unlike most timetable apps which require an internet connection to function, this one will work mid-tunnel too.

It includes a GPS-enabled station finder for those times when you haven’t a clue where you are, or you can just enter the name of an area of Tokyo and it’ll pick out your nearest stations for you. A recent update brought the ability to simply select your start and end point by tapping on the stations on the map.

The app has a range of interface languages to choose from – this is a welcome addition to the line-up of japan-based public transport apps available, most of which require at least some knowledge of Japanese (Ekitan remaining the cream of the crop at present).

Whilst lacking that certain iPhone sexiness, the metro map is easy to use, with relevant stations being highlighted following searches. There’s also a link through to Google Maps, allowing the user to move seamlessly from the train to above ground to continue their journey.

There’s certainly room for improvement though, something the developers themselves acknowledge with their mention on the iTunes product page of updates currently being worked on.

Improvements to the basic app that would be good to see in future updates

Currently, the list of train lines is static, and merely serves as a key to understanding which line is which on the main map. Ideally, tapping on a line name would bring up a scrollable linear map of all stations along it, complete with interchanges for other lines.

As noted above, with the app using a local database no network connection is needed to plan a route. However, this also serves to curtail it’s functionality, as even when you do have a network connection results are limited to showing where to change trains and how long the total journey will take – there are no real-time departure or arrival times so for that you will still need something like the above-mentioned Ekitan.

Additionally, searches net only one result when multiple journey options may be available.

Being designed for non-Japanese readers, the lack of additional Japanese script for station names is understandable – but deprives users of the fun of learning kanji whilst they travel.

Part 2: Augmented Reality

The release of a new version of Tokyo Metro with an augmented reality location engine got quite a bit of attention from the international iPhone community – but how does it stand up to actual use?

Well, it’s a mixed bag.

How to use it

First off, you need to install the AR databases. These are sold separately from the app itself – you will be prompted to buy them within the app itself when you go to Settings and turn on the available Points of Interest. At present these come in several database sets (each set costing about 115 yen to download) include American Style restaurants, Japanese Style restaurants, Cafes, donuts and ice cream outlets, convenience stores and other misc leisure places. It should be noted that the same databases are used for Presselite’s other Tokyo-centric AR app, Bionic Eye Tokyo, so if you already have them for that the app will automatically use them.

(N.b. if you receive an error message when trying to buy these AR databases, reinstall the latest version of the Tokyo Metro app).

Having bought and installed your AR databases, from the app’s main display tap on the Locate icon. It will default to showing you a standard list of stations in the local area. From here, if you click on ‘Map’ you will see (surprisingly) a Google Map with all the POI listed. To enable Augmented Reality, click on ‘POI’ (Points of Interest). This will fire up your iPhone camera, and all enabled points of interest in the local area will show up, floating in the air (as shown above).

The app uses not only GPS, but also the iPhone 3GS’ built-in compass, so as you turn around, so the floating tags will change (see below about compass accuracy).

One neat thing is that as you then tilt the phone down towards the ground, the floating tags are replaced with a list, as shown below.

Click on any of these and the display will change to an arrow pointing towards the place.

When it comes to options regarding what is displayed: as well as the basic enabling / disabling of POI databases, you can also set the localization distance (200m – 3km).

The Verdict

Well this is very cool. A few years ago I never would have thought I would have this kind of AR device in my pocket, and especially not in the form of what has essentially just been a minor software install for the phone I already carried (is the iPhone not the sexiest device on Earth?!)

But to be honest, cool does not equal functionality in this case. Why? Accuracy. I’m guessing that this is not due to the app, but due to the limitations of the iPhone itself in this case and the limits in accuracy of today’s GPS (how many times have you used Google maps on your iPhone and have it tell you you’re on the other side of the street?).

Because of this, if you’re using it in AR mode to find a place the chances are you may be going in slightly the wrong direction. You are also at risk of tripping over big rocks in the road / falling down storm drains and breaking your leg because you have your eyes fixed on the screen.

BUT – the Google Map integration is good (just like the native google maps app but with more POIs). Using it in Map view allows you to make up for any inaccuracies in the positioning device.

The AR function is however great for impressing friends at parties who have yet to see convenience stores and Starbucks floating in the air.

It’s an incredible reasonable price for what is essentially cutting edge consumer technology, so if I were you, I’d get it.

N.B. Presselite’s ‘Bionic Eye Tokyo’ has no functionality that the Tokyo Metro app doesn’t have.

iPhoningJapan.com is delighted to bring you the most epic iPhone challenge yet seen in the world (probably).

Joseph Tame, known for his addiction to his iPhone (a.k.a. ‘my baby’) is going to attempt to complete the Tokyo quarter Marathon in record time whilst carrying 30,603 pairs of eyes on his forehead. This epic feat has been made possible by months of training, an Apple iPhone, Qik.com and a new invention of Joseph’s, which he calls ‘A Modified Hat’.

He will be joined by his trainer, Tom Kobayashi.

35,603 people applied to run this epic race across Tokyo – only 5000 got in: Joseph and Tom were two of the lucky few.

Knowing how disappointed the unlucky unfortunates must be feeling, Joseph vowed to make things right. He decided, he’d let them run with him.

The full story of this epic adventure will be featured on the new podcast that Joseph co-produces – Japan Podshow.

To get live alerts via twitter of Joseph’s progress & broadcasts, be sure to follow him @tamegoeswild.

Exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of this epic challenge is also available on YouTube.

Be there and submit your comments as he runs to make his iPhone vibrate – he’ll know he’s carrying your eyes and your hopes too.

UPDATE! JOSEPH POSTS VIDEO RESPONSE TO CRITICISM

In Japan, everyone wants an iPhone. So much so, that the market for small Apple stickers has exploded. Note that only one of them is holding the genuine article. These stickers were kindly provided by Japanese Snack Reviews.

There’s been a lot of talk lately about Japan’s relationship with the iPhone.  Softbank’s decision to give away free iPhones with new two-year contracts has been cited as proof that sales have been disappointing thus far, and that desperate action has to be taken to increase sales.

Special edition iPhone COLOUR owned by my friend / teacher / ticket manager Nami

Others point out that this is a tactic frequently used by electronics manufacturers to shift stock prior to a new model being released (in June 2009?).

Personally though, I don’t see these online postings as having any bearing on my reality. I doubt Steve is going to pull the iPhone from Japan on the strength of one poorly researched article on Wired, nor do I think that app developers in Japan will stop developing for it as a result of bad press.

And the fact is, the iPhone is an incredible device. I mean, really incredible. I’ve never had the pleasure and the privilege of owning such a powerful, sexy little gadget before now, and six months after I first swiped my finger across its silky smooth touch-sensitive screen I continue to experience ‘Wow!’ moments as I find some new app that makes use of its outstanding native software and futuristic hardware.

It has had a massive meteor-sized positive impact upon my life here in Japan, helping me countless times on a daily basis to keep connected, stay organised, and to get stuff done.

Whilst I’ve reviewed many of these apps on this site in the past, I wanted to draw them all together in one post as a reference for people wondering what apps to download in preparation for the purchase of their precious iPhone.

Here’s a few examples.

GPS & compass

Until I bought my iPhone (which I did a mere three hours after touching down at Tokyo’s Narita Airport) I had never thought of GPS navigation as having any use in my life, as I didn’t have a car and had no intention of buying one.

However, back in the big city I was reminded that living in one of the world’s largest metropolitan areas results in ample opportunities to get lost when trying to reach a previously unvisited destination by train, bus or on foot.

The iPhone’s GPS capabilities, coupled with the built-in compass and Google Maps, make for the most amazing anti-get-lost tool yet to be invented (probably). Before heading somewhere I’ve not been before, I will quickly google the place and add it to my iPhone’s Google Map bookmarks (or the person’s address book card) – no need to devote further thought to figuring out the route. Providing I get off at the right railway station, I’ll be fine. Just walk so that the pulsing blue dot that is me gets closer to the red pin that is my destination.

This also means I can now take buses too. I used to avoid taking city buses  in Japan as I would soon lose track of where we were, and would find it hard to figure out what the driver was saying. Now I can just follow the bus as it trundles across the map, and get off at the correct stop. Amazing! Google Maps also incorporates some bus routes too, although it’s not comprehensive.

The GPS has also saved me from a lot of grief on the trains. Sometimes, when going somewhere new, I get on the wrong train. For example, I’m no stranger to the getting-on-the-express-train-when-I-need-a-local-train scenario, which results in my bombing past my stop and on into the unknown inaka. If the train’s crowded it can be tricky to see the map above the doors / the signs at the stations whizzing by. In that situation, I now just open Google Maps, and see exactly how much of an idiot I am. Oh yes, I really am going north when I should be going south.

Train timetable app: Ekitan

Now at a station whose name I can’t pronounce, I open Ekitan Express [iTunes], the railway timetable for the whole of Japan, and ask it to show me the stations nearest me using GPS – match the kanji in the list of results with those on the platform sign and moments later I have the timetable back to where I was meant to be going. Ekitan is a phenomenal app, with its bookmarks, history and fantastically easy-to-use (and sexy) interface. (It should be noted that whilst although it does have a romaji input option, a basic ability to recognise station names written in kanji is necessary)

Ekitan also provides you with information about major delays on the majority of train lines in Japan (Japanese only). You can choose which lines it provides info for, so there’s no scrolling through endless pages detailing trains that are 3 seconds late.

(Ekitan’s other seasonal apps featuring Christmas lights and cherry blossom can be given a miss).

Dictionary app: ‘Japanese’

The next Japan-related app I rely upon is ‘Japanese’ [iTunes 2300yen]. I’ve reviewed this app before – thus here I’ll just say it’s blooming marvellous. In particular, I find the ability to easily add words I look up to its word lists immensely useful – when I get home I manually transfer these to Anki and flash cards (the fact that this has to be done manually is a bonus as it’s in doing so that one starts learning). Note that at 2300yen it’s not cheap – you may want to check out some of the other free or cheaper dictionaries in the appstore first.

Anki

Speaking of Anki – iAnki is another of my first-page apps (not to be confused with the web-version of Anki, which you can of course also view on Mobile Safari). You can easily sync your word decks via a wifi network (once you’ve set it up once it’s very easy to do), then study your words regardless of whether or not you have an internet connection. I use it a lot on the Subway.

(note that iAnki is not a typical app and is not available form the iTunes store. It simply runs locally on Mobile Safari – no jailbreaking required)

Currency

Being a recent returnee to Japan, I still sometimes find myself wanting to know what something costs in British Pounds, and thus have currency [iTunes, free] on page two. Thinking about it though, recently I’ve used it more on payday to see just how many millions of pounds my monthly salary is now worth (as opposed to seeing how many millions of pounds our 32sqm apartment is costing).

Gengou Free

Gengou free [iTunes] is another handy app for people living in Japan – I reviewed that here: essentially it converts the non-Japanese calendar into the Japanese calendar (and vice-versa) – handy when form filling.

Today’s Earthquakes

今日の地震＋ (Today’s Earthquakes) [iTunes, free] is another must-have for Japan-residents. Having used it following a few recent earthquakes I must say I’m mightily impressed with how quickly it updates following a shake. I did find that the server went down in the first few minutes following a fairly long shake a few weeks ago, but it was soon back up and running and delivered the results within the promised ten minutes.

The developer did launch a Push service for this app, but the demand meant that the servers went down whenever there was an earthquake, and so for now Push has been tunred off.

Yahoo Weather

Another 1st page ‘app’ I use is not actually an app at all, it’s a Safari short cut to Yahoo Weather. I found the native iPhone weather app to be a pile of pants, and so instead use Yahoo Weather which can provide a very localised forecast using your Japanese post code. Just search once then bookmark the results page – this puts you just one tap away from a detailed 72-hour forecast.

Twittelator Pro

There are a few other apps which, whilst not exactly Japan-specific, do play an important role in my efforts to feel thoroughly at home here. Mail aside, Twittalator Pro for  Twitter is King. There exists a very active Twitter community here in Japan, and I’ve found this to be a great support.

Whilst I now have the beginnings of a family here in Japan and thus am not so prone to isolation, it was not always the case. I can imagine that had I had twitter access when I first lived here in 2001 I would not have felt half as isolated as I did then. I also really enjoy being given glimpses into the lives of other Tokyoites. More than that though, it’s really useful, with news and links to other useful / entertaining resources constantly being exchanged.

If you want to find more people on Twitter near you that speak your language, you can use Twitter’s advanced search)

Everytrail

My final ‘favourite’ (totally non Japan-related) app is Everytrail, which uses the iPhone’s GPS to track where you are – and uploads your route to a Google Map, complete with stats re. speed / elevation etc. I’ve been using it for training for the Tokyo Quarter Marathon (which on Sunday saw us run from Shibuya to near Shinuku via the other side of the Imperial Palace). Having a visual reference / record of my interactions with the city helps develop my sense of where I am, my relationship with the place. Like my trip by train back to the UK from Japan in 2007, this kind of experience of overland travel (which I probably wouldn’t do if I didn’t have a GPS tracking device) is immensely valuable, giving me a real sense of place that excessive use of the underground robs me of.

Incidentally, the actual marathon is taking place on the 22nd of March 2009, and I’ll be attempting to live stream video [to our sister channel Pokya on uStream.tv] from the iPhone whilst I’m running from Shinjuku to the Imperial Palace. An alert will also be sent via Twitter to remind you to tune in to the action – and you’ll also be able to urge me onwards via the live comment box.

Whilst I now have over 100 apps on my iPhone, these are the ones I turn to again and again, and are what I consider to be a part of one’s essential toolkit for a fulfilling life in Japan.

So that’s me – how about you?

How does your iPhone light up your life?

(I so should be paid to blog by Apple)

There will be no change to the existing data plan, so iPhoners wishing to pay less for unlimited data will need to manually apply for a change in contract.

Doing so will result in the standard 2-year contract being renewed, thus if you change your plan on the 1st April 2009, the contract will be extended until 30th March 2011 (but can be cancelled at any time in exchange for a 9,960 yen fee).

“We’ve taken scenes from the movie and created a cutout area that you can place over portraits in your Camera Roll. You can even put your face onto Gendo Ikari’s body, including his signature sunglasses. When you’re done, save the new picture and send it to your friends, or make it your new wallpaper!”

Appliya state on their website that you can follow them on Twitter for a free promo code.

For those of us that don’t use the Softbank mail address (preferring, say, Gmail or Yahoo instead) this doesn’t apply – we still need to visit Gmail / Yahoo in Mobile Safari to figure out what cute pictures all the crosses were supposed to be.

It only does one thing – converts the non-Japanese calendar year into the Japanese calendar year.

Whilst it’s not the kind of app that you’ll use everyday, there are times when it’s indispensable, such as filling in forms at your local ward office or trying to remember your date of birth when being stopped by police for owning a bicycle.

It is very iPhonesque, oozing sex appeal thanks to the rolling dials that you flick your finger across to change the year you’d like to convert.

There is also a paid version of Gengou [iTunes], although I’d suggest that the free version without bells and whistles does the job just fine.

“…But it doesn’t have eMoji!”

But, in typical Apple style, the iPhone 2.2 software didn’t quite give us what we wanted – whilst the eMoji were in there, they were only accessible when sending SMS to other Softbank handsets, or when sending emails using an i.softbank email account.

For users such as myself this was pretty useless, as the majority of my friends and family are yet to see the iLight and remain on other networks. Also, I personally don’t use my i.softbank mail address for anything other than alerting me when emails are sent to my dedicated Gmail iPhone account (I have a Gmail filter that forwards a copy to i.softbank).

There was a brief flurry of excitement when, last November, a hack was released showing how eMoji could be enabled for all iPhones – but this required jailbreaking your phone or using an iTunes Backup Editor (which no-one seems to know anything about).

The Hack

However, a hack first published by ipodtouchlab requires nothing but the addition of a special eMojical group of contacts to your Address Book:

1) Download the eMoji Vcard here. It contains 28 contacts, each contact contains approximately 18 emoji in the family name field. They only take on their emoji appearance once on your iPhone.

2) Add the file it to your iPhone address book (either send it by email or on a Mac add it to your Address Book and sync)

3) Enable the Japanese QWERTY keyboard (Settings > Keyboard > Japanese Keyboard. You’re done.

Entering emoji

Whilst the hack is incredibly simple and can be done in seconds (and I can confirm it works), the steps required for using the emoji are a bit long-winded:

In any app, choose the Japanese QWERTY Keyboard, then type “emojia”, “emojii” or “emojiu”. The suggestions pallet then pops up, included in which will be your new emoji.

The thing is of course, you can’t actually select individual emoji – you’re selecting 18 at a time (i.e. the number contained with the single ‘contact’ that you’re choosing). It’s then a case of deleting all but those that you want.

How to make the hack useable

Of course, as such it’s pretty impractical. However, you can customise the hack to suit your purposes.

For example, I have a thing for elephants, so I’ve simply duplicated the vCard that contains the elephant, and then edited it, replacing えもじうは with ぞう (zou) so that when I type ‘zou’ (elephant) it comes up as a choice.

I’ve included my elephant in the eMoji Vcards set. above so you can see what I’ve done.

I can’t see myself doing this for all of the emoji, but there’s a few that I can see myself frequently using, so each of these will soon be getting their own entry in my phone book. Of course somebody has probrably already re-done the whole lot giving each character it’s own vCard – if anyone comes across such a set do let us know.

N.b. Although it’s now possible to insert emoji in emails being sent from non-i.softbank. email addresses, there’s a possibility that they won’t display properly on the recipient’s screen.

Whilst this news doesn’t really mean anything as only 3 people in Japan own Willcom / eMobile handsets, it is a sign that Softbank are actively working to extend eMoji functionality to cover all other networks.

As far as the TV function goes, the unit works by converting the incoming TV signal and re-broadcasting it via wifi to the iPhone for display. It’s controlled by the free app Terebi (‘TV’), now available from the Apple App store Japan.

The unit can also be used to power the iPhone 3G. A full charge provides approximately 100 mins of TV viewing on the iPhone – whilst it’s not confirmed yet one would assume that if one wasn’t using the TV app it would give the iPhone a full charge. Charging the TV adapter takes 180 mins via USB port or 120 mins using a USB mains adapter.

The 1Seg TV adapter is a little smaller than the iPhone in terms of surface area, but about 1.5x the thickness.

I’ll be popping out to my local Softbank store tomorrow to take a look, although bearing in mind the amount of rubbish that there is on Japanese TV won’t actually be buying one myself.

Photos: www.macotakara.jp

[UPDATE]

Steven Agata over at The Western World has posted his first impressions of the iPhone 1 seg adapater / battery pack, confirming much of the above. I get the impression that this product was rushed out of the design room as quickly as possible – let’s hope we see some improvements to the interface at least as a twitchy app might drive you up the wall.